Monday, August 29, 2016

It
takes courage to follow your own path and ignore those who try
to dissuade you from pursuing your dreams.

This
thought really hit home last week when I was listening to CBC reporters
recalling their favourite moments from the Olympic Games in Rio.

Paul
Hunter was describing the impact of swimmer Kylie Moss' (bronze medal
winner) comments about wanting to inspire other young Canadians to follow
their dreams, to ignore those who say you can't win an Olympic medal. That
really resonated with him. That’s when it struck me about how much gumption it
takes to just keep on going when you’ve taken on such a huge challenge. That
takes a lot of courage, in my opinion.

So
here are a few recommendations of books with characters (real and otherwise) who
do have the courage to achieve their dreams:

Junior
is an American Indian growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. With
encouragement from one of his teachers he decides to go to an all-white school
off of the rez. This takes tremendous courage as he receives little support
from those on the reservation who see him as a traitor nor those at the school
in town who see him as if he was “Bigfoot or a UFO”. This is an opportunity to make
a better life for himself but it isn’t easy. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

A
little girl who loves to act is excited to take on the role of Peter Pan in a
school play. But she’s told that because she’s a girl she can’t be Peter Pan.
Then she’s told that because she’s black she can’t be Peter Pan. But with some
help from her Nana she puts her mind to doing the best she can in auditions and
is given the part. Recommended for grades 1 to 3.

I
so enjoyed this book of three different characters in three different places
from slightly different but contiguous time periods. Each of the children in
these stories have musical ability with ‘potential’ to be great. But their
circumstances (wartime Germany, homeless orphans in America, and migrant
workers in California) don’t easily allow them to pursue them. However, due to
their own tenacious characters (plus some lucky breaks) their futures do result
in opportunities allowing them to live their passion. Recommended for middle
grades.

A
young girl dreams of becoming a ballerina and Misty Copeland, a real-life
African-America ballerina encourages her to follow her heart and shows that
hard work and determination can make it happen. Recommended for grades 1-4.

Malala
Yousafzai is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Her persistent canvasing for the
rights of children, especially girls, to education put her life in great
danger. Despite being shot by Taliban supporters because she refused to quit
school and spoke out against the Taliban, she continues endorsing and fighting
for children to go to school. Recommended for grades 3 to 6.

This
graphic novel is about a wanna-be super hero. Well, he’s a reluctant wanna-be
at best as it’s his mother who really pushes him to step up to the plate. But
eventually Hank grows in to the role of “The Golden Man of Bravery”. This one
really connects persistence, ability and courage with pursuing your dreams.
Lots of wry humour, too. Recommended for grades 7 and up.

Search This Blog

About Me

I am the reference coordinator at The Doucette Library of Teaching Resources, a curriculum library in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.
I love connecting education students and teachers with engaging and exciting resources for classroom teaching. I believe that resources that get me excited (or those that get you excited) are the ones with the best potential to get kids interested in learning about - well, everything. Finding those books that connect to the real world are the ones I enjoy promoting the most.